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Pterosaur niches; What else could they have been
Topic Started: May 11 2009, 02:12 PM (1,272 Views)
Scrublord
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All the books seem to think that pterosaurs were either tiny insect-eaters, humongous albatross-like gliders, or stork-like hunters. But how else could they have lived? Coul there have been herbivorous ones? Swimming ones? Pterosaurs that hunted other pterosaurs? NOTE: This is about Mesozoic pterosaurs ONLY, so no alternative evolution scenarios please!
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Carlos
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Whoever says pterosaurs were restricted to seabirds and insect eaters (as it has been so far claimed until clear proof that azhdarchids weren't was finally provided) is a retard only beaten by PETA activists in terms of stupidity/ignorance. We now have evidence that Mesozoic pterosaurs were a fairly diverse group, not as diverse as birds but certainly worthy of attention. Tapejarids, for example, were appearently poor fliers but had strong claws, and it is now assumed that they were omnivores that probably both searched for food on the ground and on the trees (forest dweeling species like Sinopterus had barely any crests, while species that occured in more open areas like Tapejara had those spectacular head things), and I believe they were eventually replaced ecologically by oviraptors.

Ctenochasmatoids were also a diverse group, composed of semi-aquatic forms probably not unlike shorebirds or waterfowl in niches. Filter feeders, probers and fish hunters (though whereas they hunted fish from the air or if they waded like herons I have no idea) are all known from this group. Dsungaripteroids were poor fliers and occured far from marine habitats, and its presumed they were basically like galliformes, only that they ate freshwater molluscs, and there's likely no modern analogue. In fact, only "rhamphorhynchoids" and ornithocheiroids (plus the fish eating ctenochasmatoids probably) were seabird like, and even so there were some members of these groups that weren't fish eaters (i.e. Istyodactylus was clearly a scavenger, Lonchodectes might had been stork like and Dimorphodon was an arboreal predator, not to mention various insectivorous "rhamphorhynchoids")
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http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
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Venatosaurus
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Wow these animals were amazing... Someone should do an alternate pterosaur world, where they not mammals become the dominant terrestrial animals.



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Carlos
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I've considered once, but I simply cannot invision a world where they are the dominant land animals; in my mind they will always need to have something else sharing the dominant niches with them, just like crocodilians. In any case, you know it; claiming pterosaurs are all seabird like is my Berserk Button, and expect plenty of hostility by me towards people that ignore pterosaur diversity
Edited by Carlos, May 11 2009, 04:54 PM.
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

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Venatosaurus
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Well I envisioned the world of the terrasaurs also having crocodilians (like sebecosuchians and pristichampsids) and more primitive mammals sharing the dominance (but still pterosaurs in diversity, numbers, and ecological niches they occupy are still the dominant terrestrial animals). Terrasaurs, as they would be called, develop numerous land species (predators not unlike specs carnocursids) herbivores and omnivores like Darrens Shemhazai and Qilin. As well as flightless primate analogues (in addition to actual primates) and even marine species much like this one (damn I can't find the picture right now, but it basically has a plesiosaur body with a pterodaustro head). There'd obviously be many more terrasaurs, but ya know what I mean ;)



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Carlos
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I actually think flight could be lost more than once among pterosaurs, with tapejarids, azhdarchids, dsungaripterids and some sort of ctenochasmatoid producing flightless forms
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Venatosaurus
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I like the idea of a flightless gorilla like species...damn after Squamozoic, maybe I'll try on a Terra Pterosauria ?!!! ;) (or Terrasauria, or maybe even Tierrasauria which means like Lizard Earth, but also a play on pterosaurs/terrasaurs)
Edited by Venatosaurus, May 11 2009, 06:30 PM.



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Carlos
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I know, probably a interesting project shouldn't I be busy as I am
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Venatosaurus
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Plus you have a rather good knowledge of pterosaurs, though I don't want it to be as huge as Spec, some small/medium sized showing a good amount of animals from certain biomes/ecologies. Maybe this could be the new WIW, I would like to do it soon (maybe a few ideas today :D )



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Carlos
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Defenitevely not as huge as Spec :P
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Scrublord
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Do you think any could have lived like goshawks, chasing other pterosaurs?
My Projects:
The Neozoic Redux
Valhalla--Take Three!
The Big One



Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com

In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado.
--Heteromorph
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Scrublord
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Sorry about the double post, but I said this was about how mesozoic pterosaurs could have lived, NOT a thread for an alternate pterosaur-evolution project
My Projects:
The Neozoic Redux
Valhalla--Take Three!
The Big One



Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com

In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado.
--Heteromorph
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Carlos
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I now, but we here have a long tradition of going offtopic...

AFAIK no pterosaurs were actually 100% like known predatory birds; Dimorphodon appearently was a terrestrial predator, of the pine marten sort, not a bird of prey analogue (it was a very retarded flier, but a good tree climber). Probably some "rhamphorhynchoids" akin to Rhamphorhynchus could had been aerial predators like falcons, eating other pterosaurs, but there's no evidence for that, though honestly it would make sense if early pterosaurs like Preondactylus (which was actually more Dimorphodon like than previously thought, with a deeper skull, but certainly a better flier) were going after lizards and other small animals than aquatic prey. Plus, Campylognathoides (or however you pronouce that) was pretty damn big for its time, reaching an unbelivable wingspan of 3 meters (huge for a non-pterodactyloid), and I believe it could had been the skua of the Jurassic, preying on small fish hunters.

Its worth to note that even fish eating pterosaurs could likely eat small marine reptiles. Also, some ornithocheirids like Caulkicephalus were found in inland habitats; though it seems at least most ornithocheirids were fish eaters (even those inland forms, based on stomacal contents), its worth to note modern large seabird like albatrosses, frigatebirds and obviously sea eagles do feed on carrion, so expect to see an Ornithocheirus eating a floating pliosaur carcasse in case you time travel
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Venatosaurus
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Yeah sorry for going off topic :D But Faa, we should make a new topic once we begin the project...unless we email eachother back and forth ?! Damn off topic again...Okay, but I'm sure some pterosaurs would have been adept terrestrial hunters (mammals, reptiles, small/baby dinosaurs) since they may have been somewhat speedy (well ya know what I mean) runners, something like a giraffe when it runs, then scooping up a small animal.



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Carlos
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We'll make a new topic
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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